Post by BIGFANBOY on Sept 26, 2008 5:06:09 GMT -5
NIGHTS IN RODANTHE
Review by Gary Dean Murray
Nicholas Sparks is one of the most successful novelists of our generation. Starting with The Notebook this writer has crafted stories that have touched a legion of readers and his works are being taught in school. And since Hollywood has always followed success, his stories have been crafted into films. The latest is Nights in Rodanthe.
The story is of middle aged love. Adrienne (Diane Lane) is a woman with two kids and a former husband. Though the divorce is still fresh on her mind, it seems that Dad is using his kids to get back into the good graces of Mom. He is taking the kids down to Florida for a vacation, and planting seeds of hope in their young minds. Adrienne is asked by her best friend to watch her seaside hotel in Rodanthe. The friend has to go down to Miami. One gets the feeling that being put upon is the norm for Mom.
On the other side of the plot, Dr. Paul (Richard Gere) is making plans to go. He’s selling his house and has a Spanish/English phrase book in his single bag. He is to be the lone guest at a hotel in Rodanthe, after the season has come and gone. There is this determination in his manners.
And in the ocean a storm is brewing.
The two are the only people in the scenic hotel. The reason that he is here is that it seems he lost a patient and it has been bothering him. The widow (Scott Glen) has asked Dr. Paul for a meeting, the reason for the stay. The good doctor also has problems connecting with his doctor son who is running a South American jungle clinic. The widow is suing the Dr. Paul and the doctor thinks that a meeting could solve some problems. But those plans also don’t go as hoped.
The story of Nights in Rodanthe is of two people who find common ground and love in the most difficult circumstances. As the storm brews outside, these two become close. The struggle with the elements mirrors the struggle with their lives.
It is after the nights where the story loses its fire. In the third act, director George C. Wolfe makes the choice of going without music which gives an almost documentary feel to the proceedings. And, the third act is where the film falls apart. What works in the book comes across as weak storytelling almost to the point of a cheat in the narration. And we never get a true idea of how old Adrienne’s daughter actually is.
There are some great aspects of this film. The soundtrack has some wonderful tracks from Diana Washington and the incomparable Brooke Benton. The actual hotel is a stunning monument to seaside living.
I loved Diane Lane as the mom trying to find a place in her world. The journey in Nights is her journey of going from a wounded person without hope to a wounded person with hope. She puts out her every emotion in slight movements and subtle glances. It is another great performance in a career of great performances.
Richard Gere has been such a good actor for so long one forgets just how strong a presence he can be in a film. It is a shame that he has been so long ignored by the Academy in the Oscar hunt. While not up to some of his roles from the last few years, he still manages to be stoic and tender in the same scene.
The precis of Rodanthe is that love makes you better than you are. That is a winning sentiment. But, the storytelling aspects are overtly simplistic. The book is 200 scant pages and maybe fleshing out the story would have been a better idea than just making the printed work into a movie.
This is not a tearjerker but a tear ripper. There are few happy endings in the stories of Nicholas Sparks. But if you are looking for what they used to call a ‘weepie’ this is your little cup of tears. Bring the handkerchiefs and see Nights in Rodanthe.
To go back to BIGFANBOY.com click here - www.bigfanboy.com